SENTIENT STEEL

It's a challenging but fun to learn side scroller beat 'em up. It can be a bit punishing at times, and the game clearly wants you to take the time to master it (although there are optional assist features available, I welcomed the challenge). Even as a less technically-abled player, I've managed to make progress and get better as I played. Mechanics are taught as you progress through the levels; there are also some practice levels unlocked on the world map. Sometimes you might learn a mechanic that could have been used in an earlier level to access a hidden unlockable. Replaying levels until you complete all objectives is clearly encouraged. Based on what I've played so far, the game delivers on what it promises. I definitely recommend checking out this game, if only to support a promising indie developer.

While graphics might not convince you, this is one of those games that surprises you once you start playing. Gameplay is flashy and pretty cool. Your primary weapon is a blaster, which you may continuously fire while dashing around by holding down the button. You also have a sword, which you can use for a stronger strike and to destroy stuff more quickly. Other moves include dash, which allows you to overcome gaps, and grab, which is only applicable on surfaces where wall-running is possible. Special abilities are connected to flowers. Almost every stage has one flower component, and if you gather three of them, you'll obtain a new flower. It is possible to outfit up to three distinct flowers. You can activate special attacks, heal, and do a lot of other things with flowers. But only when you have sufficient energy can you make use of them. You might have enough energy for just one power because they can take a lot. However, eliminating and shooting enemies can restore energy fast. As you complete missions, more areas open up on the map you're moving through. A mission is a pretty straightforward mix of platforming and shooting where the objective is to reach the end and destroy the machine heart. On the way you collect data that’s found lying around or by destroying enemies. You receive a grade at the end for speed, no damage taken, all enemies destroyed, and so on. By doing a good job, you get a lot more resources. Although the game is designed for speedrunning, you can ignore everything and play at your own pace. There are no unique rewards for completing a stage quickly. Modifiers for your blaster and sword can be purchased using resources. On the map, there are multiple traders, and as you discover more of them, you can access better modifiers. They ca be basic benefits like showing the health of an opponent or combat benefits like steel grip, which instantly crushes weak machines. Better and more useful equipment is, of course, far more expensive. You can't equip every modifier you own because both weapons only have two slots to begin with. The catch is that modifiers require certain number of slots. Usually, the best equipment takes up all of your slots. They always function regardless of the weapon you use them with. Thankfully, as you open more traders, you can purchase additional slots. Even better, you can equip every non-combat modifier—which merely adds information to the screen—because most of them don't require any slots. Enemies are robots or machines. Not much can be said about them other than the fact that they exist in different varieties. While some have a shield that needs some planning, others can be hit immediately. There are boss fight phases as well. Bosses have multiple attack patterns, and when you deal enough damage, they switch things around. Another distinct type of stage is the side-scrolling shoot-em-up. These are simple and uninteresting, but they provide a pleasant diversion.

Have started this game and been immediately impressed by the high standards at show, especially from an indie developer. Both the platforming and combat are challenging an open-ended, making every level so far a nice and satisfying experience. New platforming elements and enemies are introduced very deliberately, allowing the player to develop a method of dealing with them at a comfortable pace that still feels like a good challenge. On top of this, even though the game recommends a controller, I found the keyboard controls easy to understand and punchy (is that the right term...?) The game looks and sounds great, giving a strong and charming aesthetic. I also found the world building elements were handled in a way where a quite impatient person such as myself didn't feel any exposition stuck around for too long. Overall, great fun, and I look forward to putting some more time into this. Recommend especially to people who want to support indie devs.

[h2]Summary[/h2] Sentient Steel is this little indie gem that’s polished to shine, packed with details, and most importantly, it’s a whole lot of fun. [b]If you're into platformers with a 2.5D aesthetic, give this one a shot[/b]. Trust me, you’ll be thanking me later ;) [h2]Deep Dive:[/h2] From the get-go, "Sentient Steel" sucks you into a vibe that feels like you're playing a classic Dreamcast / PS2 platformer, but with a modern twist. It's like a blast from the past but with fresh paint and a new engine. The menus, the game’s look when you’re picking your level, the tunes...it all just feels right. The tutorial doesn’t bore you to death; instead, it smoothly ropes you into the gameplay, which is pretty neat, especially if you're playing with someone who's not a platformer pro. You’ve got options to make life easier, like seeing enemies’ health or getting on-screen hints, making the game super accessible and customizable to everyone’s taste. Gameplay and controls are spot-on for a platformer, though the no vertical shooting thing has me wondering if it’s some quirky design choice? Anyway, the modifiers and upgrades are key (and a blast to use) for getting through certain stages, and the way you refill them pretty much tells you to keep those machines running, lol. Seeing your score at the end of a level, whether you made it through unscathed, etc., feels pretty cool when you wrap up a level. Repetition can be a drag in many platformers, but Sentient Steel strikes a nice balance. It keeps the aesthetic consistent but switches up the environment and throws in different machines here and there, keeping things interesting. Special shoutout to those moments when the camera angle switches up, bringing a fresh perspective and making you eager to see what’s next. Plus, I’m over 6 hours in and still finding little details and "mini-challenges" that either require some extra skill or modifiers to nail. Conclusion: "Sentient Steel" proves that with the right mix of passion and craftsmanship, a game can go beyond the "indie" label to deliver an engaging, challenging, and above all, fun experience. It’s a solid pick for anyone looking to relive the glory days of platformers with a bit of a modern twist. Forgot to mention that I was playing a few days on a "potato" machine and runs fine considering that machine doesn't have a dedicated GPU!!

Going to be honest in that platformers are most definitely not my kind of game; however, this looked interesting, and it feels nice to support a 'real' indie dev (looks like a near-solo project, small budget). All the mechanics are introduced in a way that makes sense, without being shoehorned, and the levels are all a good length without overstaying their welcome. It would be easy for it to become repetitive, but new mechanics or new ways to use the existing mechanics are inserted often enough for it to stay fresh and engaging. I have a feeling this would work great for speedrunners, which I am definitely not, but I can see a lot of replayability in that. The little shooting sections offer a really nice change of pace, and the bosses are fun. It works great in local co-op, the camera does a good job of keeping both people in-view, and there's good fail-safes in place for when one of you falls behind (or falls, full stop). The dev has clearly put thought into how to make it enjoyable for both players, and it shows. I have yet to test it with remote play, but I can't see any reason it wouldn't work. Considering how rare it is to find an indie game with a working co-op feature, it feels worth highlighting. The music is decent, and the story isn't massively developed, but just enough that you get a bit of a feeling for the world it is set in. The art style did not bother me, in fact I found it surprisingly readable while playing for something so fast-paced. Overall, it's really enjoyable and reasonably easy to pick-up.

it's a fun and simple action game. Simple enough for novices to enter, but the challenges needing to be beaten all at once for furll completion of a level ask too much for the player. Would happily gift to friends.

It’s just good fun! If you’re looking for a really well put together indie game to sink a couple of hours into, with engaging mechanics, pretty visuals and a solid progression system then this is the game for you. A very enjoyable side-scroller with enough challenging elements to make you work for it. A really well thought through introduction to new mechanics during the levels and never leaves you confused about what you’re supposed to be doing. It has a really good mix of level types and it’s definitely worth playing through all the optional levels as they’re arguably some of the best in the game. It also has a really well thought out drop in, drop out co-op element great for playing on the sofa with a friend. The only negative I can think of is that the soundtrack is incredibly catchy and I caught myself humming away on more than one occasion. :D

Fun gameplay, I really enjoyed the wall running while fighting with with a sword and gun simultaneously, it felt very freeing. I really like the artstyle, it feels quite nostalgic with beautiful colours and shadows for the day night cycle. Looking forward to learning more of the bioflowers technology abilities.

First impressions are a high quality experience, that surprises the player with little details included by a loving developer! Visually it's really nice, and surprisingly polished! A great wee gem! 💎

Sentient Steel is like dry chicken. Is it good? Kind of... but it has a lot of downfalls. PROS: +Great soundtrack. Easily the best part of the game. Catchy tunes, they don't get in the way and they're worth listening to. +Solid environment and obstacle design. For a platformer, this game has a good visual style that's pleasing to look at without being too busy. +It has customization in the form of which upgrades you buy and equip, and I like that. CONS: -Everything feels stiff. The jumping, the combat, completing levels. Nothing feels as good as it should on paper. The trailer sold me on the amount of moves you have and freedom of platforming, but WOW is it slow to actually play. The first half hour is spent waiting for something actually fun to happen, and then world 2 is a marginal increase at best. -The game claims to be fast-paced when it is not. You have a dash, but it feels awkward to use and oftentimes doesn't land you in the place you want to be. The SHMUP sections are the worst example of this, though. They introduce enemies at a snail's pace, and it doesn't even feel satisfying to destroy them. -Story and Main character design are lackluster. I just played it and I couldn't tell you who is in it or what they look like. -For all the well-made trailer appeared to show me sauce, this game is actually sauce-less. Therefore, dry chicken. There's an attempt at something cool here, and the game has some of the ingredients to make a good game, but it misses the mark and winds up being just okay. 5/10